ICC to cut Big Three down to size

THE hostile takeover of world cricket’s finances by India, England and Australia in 2014 will be undone at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) June board meeting, the organisation said on Thursday.

In 2014, the Big Three bullied and cajoled enough other national boards – Cricket SA (CSA) included – into accepting constitutional changes that would mean that India, for instance, would earn more than six times what SA will from the proceeds of the ICC’s 2015-23 rights cycle.

But the despised Naryanaswami Srinivasan has since been deposed as boss of both the ICC the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), while Wally Edwards no longer runs Cricket Australia (CA). Giles Clark, who still heads up the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), consequently is struggling for support.

So, the ICC decided on Wednesday “to approve changes to the terms of reference of the finance and commercial affairs committee and executive committee so as to remove the permanent positions for the nominees of the BCCI, CA and the ECB on these committees, and to allow fair access to membership for all full and associate member directors, with the sole criteria being the skill, competence and experience of the relevant director”.

The ICC also agreed to “carry out a complete review of the 2014 resolutions and constitutional changes with a view to establishing governance, finance, corporate and cricketing structures that are appropriate and effective for the strategic role and function of the ICC and all of its members”.

That promises to be as big a job as it sounds: “As part of this wide-ranging exercise, the ICC board has directed that the … constitution be reviewed in its entirety and all members have been encouraged to provide feedback on this issue to ICC management during the next few weeks.”

Among the most important decisions taken will be the election of a new ICC chair.

“While in the office, the ICC chairman will not be allowed to hold any post with any member board …,” a statement said.

That would seem to rule out former ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, who has been linked to the chairperson’s position.

Unless, of course, Lorgat leaves his current job as CSA chief executive.